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Strasbourg Shooting Suspect, Still at Large, Identified as 29-Year-Old Cherif Chekatt

Suspect Cherif Chekatt, who is still at-large, was previously flagged on the country's terror watch list.

Police have identified the at-large suspect thought to have killed two and injured 12 others in a Wednesday gun and knife attack near a Strasbourg Christmas market, the Associated Press reports. Cherif Chekatt, 29, allegedly shouted “God is great!” in Arabic before firing into the crowd. According to Prosecutor Remy Heitz, Chekatt was injured in a gunfire exchange with police shortly after the attack and hopped into taxi. Chekatt then reportedly drove to another part of town and got into another confrontation with police before disappearing. The AP reports the search for Chekatt is ongoing, with “hundreds of security forces” searching for him eastern France. Police have deemed him a “dangerous” individual, and have advised the public to “not intervene.” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner reportedly told lawmakers that Chekatt—a French native—was convicted 27 times throughout his life for various crimes, including armed robbery. According to the AP, Chekatt had been “flagged for extremism” and was on the country’s watch list. Among the dozen people injured in the attack, six are reportedly critically injured and one is brain-dead.

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Three Dead, Several Wounded in Strasbourg Shooting: Police